Toby Keith Foundation to Open OK Kids Korral on November 21

With years of planning and golf tournament fundraising behind it, the Toby Keith Foundation will finally and officially open the OK Kids Korral. The facility, which was a labor of love for Keith and his organization, is a cost-free, home-away-from-home for pediatric cancer patients and their families.

The Grand Opening Event is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21 at 11AM.

"We've been working on the Korral for 10 years and we're finally going to open," Keith said in a statement. "Thank you to all of those people who have supported us over the years. 10 years goes by fast when you are working toward a goal this big."

The OK Kids Korral is located on the Oklahoma Health Center Campus in Oklahoma City in Keith's home state. The location spans 25,000 sq. ft and is state-of-the-art, equipped with 16 rooms, including 12 overnight suites that offer sleeping accommodations for five people and four daytime suites.

There is also a neutropenic wing for children who have weakened immune systems, as well as a gourmet kitchen, an indoor play room with a Route 66 theme, an outdoor playground with a Oklahoma theme, a game room, a family resource room, a laundry room, a theater room and a reflection room.

Basically, it offers all the creature comforts of home and a safe haven for families. But it is also designed to offer a Sooner State experience, featuring images of local icons, like the blue whale from Catoosa and the round barn from Arcadia, as well as a one-of-a kind glass sculpture with Oklahoma's 77 counties, state animals, a schooner and artwork from some of the state's talented artists.

Executive Director Juliet Nees-Bright explained the function of the facility, saying, "Our whole goal is to provide lodging and peace of mind to children battling cancer. To keep them together, focused on healing and not spending hours commuting or going out of state for treatment."

She furthered, "The families staying with us will be under unimaginable pressure. We simply hope that the care and thought we put in the house, brings them a little happiness and peace."